Anmo-Tuina Acupressure — self-massage circuit
Anmo-Tuina Acupressure — self-massage circuit is a Chinese / TCM — Anmo-Tuina acupressure body system as transmitted through the lineage Anmo (按) pressing and mo (摩) rubbing are manual methods within Chinese tuina, applied here as a self-care circuit across a pedagogical selection of named acupoints. The point names and channel associations are framed through the classical meridian literature and modern TCM tuina teaching, while the ordered whole-body sequence is an explicitly modern synthesis rather than a single classical prescription.. This page lists every point in the system with sourced placements and links to cross-tradition correspondences curated for The Body Spiritual.
Open in interactive explorerPrimary sources
- Huangdi Neijing · Lingshu (transl. Unschuld, California UP 2016) — Classical meridian and point discourse supporting the TCM channel frame; it does not prescribe this exact self-massage order.
- Nan Jing (Classic of Difficult Issues) (transl. Unschuld, University of California Press 1986) — Classical pulse, extraordinary-vessel, and channel discussions used for the canonical boundary of the point tradition.
- Claude Diolosa, TCM tuina teaching texts (Academy of Classical Chinese Medicine teaching editions, secondary reference) — Modern TCM didactic synthesis used for practical press-and-rub instruction and point-selection pedagogy.
- WHO Scientific Group, International Standard Acupuncture Nomenclature (WHO 1991) — Reference for standardized pinyin/alphanumeric point naming and point identity.
- Modern acupressure self-care syntheses (Scholarly review literature, consulted as a modern comparison corpus) — Supports the self-care framing only; it does not replace classical TCM channel attribution or establish a canonical circuit.
Known lineage variants
- The point set and order are a medium-fidelity pedagogical synthesis: classical texts establish channels, point names, and therapeutic categories, but no single Nan Jing, Lingshu, or tuina canon prescribes this exact eleven-station sequence.
- Front-view coordinates are an editorial projection onto the body silhouette. Anatomical right is x < 0.5 and anatomical left is x > 0.5; posterior fengchi is therefore shown at the lateral occiput of the front-view head rather than as a literal back-surface view.
- The bilateral taichong pair is compressed into one bilateral teaching marker to keep the authored point count within the 13–16 acceptance band; self-massage still uses both feet. Its midpoint coordinate is not a claim that a single midline taichong point exists.
- Point locations, depth, and indication language vary among WHO nomenclature, classical commentaries, and modern tuina schools. Uncertainty radii describe the diagram projection and teaching scale, not a clinical needling tolerance.
- This system is TCM Anmo-Tuina, not Japanese shiatsu or Iokai meridian bodywork. Shiatsu-influenced pressure-line syntheses are excluded; the cross-reference to tcm_twelve_primary_meridians uses the same acupoint coordinate space and classical channel frame.
Cross-tradition overlaps
- Fengchi (GB20) — anatomical right ↔ Temple (anatomical-right) (distance 0.010)
- Fengchi (GB20) — anatomical left ↔ Temple (anatomical-left) (distance 0.010)
- Fengchi (GB20) — anatomical right ↔ Temple — anatomical right (distance 0.011)
- Fengchi (GB20) — anatomical left ↔ Temple — anatomical left (distance 0.011)
Related systems
No other systems share this tradition label.
Points
- Baihui (GV20) — Hundred meetings — vertex press
- Yintang (EX-HN3) — Hall of impression — brow rub
- Fengchi (GB20) — anatomical right — Wind pool — suboccipital press
- Fengchi (GB20) — anatomical left — Wind pool — suboccipital press
- Jianjing (GB21) — anatomical right — Shoulder well — kneading press
- Jianjing (GB21) — anatomical left — Shoulder well — kneading press
- Danzhong (CV17) — Chest center — breath-linked rub
- Zhongwan (CV12) — Central epigastrium — warming circles
- Tianshu (ST25) — anatomical right — Heavenly pivot — abdominal rub
- Tianshu (ST25) — anatomical left — Heavenly pivot — abdominal rub
- Guanyuan (CV4) — Gate of origin — lower-abdomen hold
- Zusanli (ST36) — anatomical right — Leg three li — rhythmic press
- Zusanli (ST36) — anatomical left — Leg three li — rhythmic press
- Taichong (LR3) — bilateral pair — Great surge — foot-web rub
- Yongquan (KI1) — anatomical right — Gushing spring — sole press
- Yongquan (KI1) — anatomical left — Gushing spring — sole press
Frequently asked
What is Baihui (GV20)?
Baihui is the Du-channel vertex point used here as the opening, quieting press of the circuit. Its crown coordinate is a front-view projection of the vertex, and the modern sequence should not be read as a classical prescription for every person.
What is Yintang (EX-HN3)?
Yintang is an extra-point brow focus commonly included in calming and head self-care instruction. The small midline mark locates the glabella region in the front-view diagram, while the self-massage action is a light circular rub rather than a claim about a separate classical primary channel.
What is Fengchi (GB20) — anatomical right?
Fengchi is the paired Gallbladder-channel hollow at the suboccipital margin, pressed with a supported fingertip and relaxed breath. The right-side marker follows the corpus rule x < 0.5 for anatomical right; the front view only approximates a point that is partly posterior.
What is Fengchi (GB20) — anatomical left?
Fengchi is the paired Gallbladder-channel hollow at the suboccipital margin, pressed with a supported fingertip and relaxed breath. The left-side marker follows the corpus rule x > 0.5 for anatomical left; the front view only approximates a point that is partly posterior.
What is Jianjing (GB21) — anatomical right?
Jianjing is the Gallbladder-channel shoulder-well point approached in tuina with broad, moderate kneading rather than a sharp poke. The right shoulder coordinate is an editorial front projection, and force should remain gentle in self-care because the region contains vulnerable structures.
What is Jianjing (GB21) — anatomical left?
Jianjing is the Gallbladder-channel shoulder-well point approached in tuina with broad, moderate kneading rather than a sharp poke. The left shoulder coordinate is an editorial front projection, and force should remain gentle in self-care because the region contains vulnerable structures.
What is Danzhong (CV17)?
Danzhong is the Ren-channel midline point at the sternum, used here as a light palm or fingertip rub coordinated with an easy exhalation. Its front coordinate is comparatively stable as a midline teaching anchor, but the circuit's breath pairing is a modern instructional choice.
What is Zhongwan (CV12)?
Zhongwan is the Ren-channel central epigastric point, traditionally associated with the middle burner and digestion in TCM teaching. The map places it on the upper-abdominal midline for slow warming circles; this is a self-care sequence choice, not a universal treatment rule.
What is Tianshu (ST25) — anatomical right?
Tianshu is the paired Stomach-channel point beside the navel, rubbed with a broad clockwise or comfortable circular motion in this teaching circuit. The right-side marker is x < 0.5, and the exact cun measurement is intentionally widened for a silhouette diagram rather than clinical localization.
What is Tianshu (ST25) — anatomical left?
Tianshu is the paired Stomach-channel point beside the navel, rubbed with a broad clockwise or comfortable circular motion in this teaching circuit. The left-side marker is x > 0.5, and the exact cun measurement is intentionally widened for a silhouette diagram rather than clinical localization.
What is Guanyuan (CV4)?
Guanyuan is the Ren-channel lower-abdominal point used as a quiet holding station for grounding and restorative attention. The coordinate is a midline front projection, while any pressure near the pelvis must remain comfortable and is not a substitute for clinical advice.
What is Zusanli (ST36) — anatomical right?
Zusanli is the Stomach-channel point below the knee, included as the circuit's sturdy earth-phase press and rub. The right lower-leg position is only an approximate front silhouette anchor; palpation should use the individual leg's landmarks rather than the pixel alone.
What is Zusanli (ST36) — anatomical left?
Zusanli is the Stomach-channel point below the knee, included as the circuit's sturdy earth-phase press and rub. The left lower-leg position is only an approximate front silhouette anchor; palpation should use the individual leg's landmarks rather than the pixel alone.
What is Taichong (LR3) — bilateral pair?
Taichong is the Liver-channel source point on the dorsum of each foot, rubbed along the first-to-second metatarsal interval in practical instruction. A single bilateral marker at the foot midline keeps the map within the requested point budget; it represents two mirrored practice sites, not a midline point.
What is Yongquan (KI1) — anatomical right?
Yongquan is the Kidney-channel well point on the sole, used here as the closing grounding press after the circuit rises and returns through the limbs. The anatomical-right sole marker is rendered at x < 0.5, with the sole itself represented by the front-view foot silhouette rather than a literal dorsal surface.
What is Yongquan (KI1) — anatomical left?
Yongquan is the Kidney-channel well point on the sole, used here as the closing grounding press after the circuit rises and returns through the limbs. The anatomical-left sole marker is rendered at x > 0.5, with the sole itself represented by the front-view foot silhouette rather than a literal dorsal surface.